Just Learning

I'm trying to dedicate the next few weeks to really reading and learning more about the legalities that will come with running this business. Things have been going smoothly as far as just coming up with concepts and ideas for designs but it didn't take long to see that wasn't the hardest part. It's going to take a lot of research to further my knowledge of all the different business types and make sure I have a clear understanding of everything I'm reading. In my opinion that is the only way to ensure success. I obviously can still do well but it just seems smart to at least have a basic understanding to ensure I can make intelligent decisions. I already have other people who actually draw and computerize my concepts so I figured I better get a good grip on the business side. I have been wasting too many days that could have been used to soak up some knowledge. Until next time, challenge yourself and make your own story of how you made someone believe. I feel I'm doing it every day and there is no better feeling.

Still on it

First off I want to say thanks to my cousin Ozell for rocking his shirt and sending me this picture. He's the owner of an award winning barbershop out in Dallas called the Fade shop. That place is full of celebrity clientele so if your in the Dallas area I suggest you check those guys out.  I've been pretty quiet the last week but that doesn't mean progress has stopped at all. I been working on getting this first design out on the streets so look out for more pictures coming up with people wearing my shirts. Also this weekend I will be doing a small photo shoot. I'm very proud of my first design so I want to take the time to make sure they are represented right with some dope photography. Shout outs to my buddy Chris who is the owner of Chris Conway Media. He will be doing the shoot and I have no doubt they will turn out amazing. So please please please look out for that blog because I am super excited about it.

Building the Team

I've spent the last week or so just working on some new designs and brainstorming about exactly what direction I want this line to move in. Make Them Believe is a strong statement and can be taken in many different directions. I do want to find a solid ground that people can refer to when they think of my shirts but I feel the most important thing is not completely putting myself in a box. I want to always allow myself to explore in different avenues to give myself and this line freedom. So far the message has been received really well. My friend Rob reached out and sparked the idea of working with me and I thought it was great. Who knows how this line will do in the future but I will always remember that Rob Balanon was the first official member of my team to help me promote. Rob is a local boxer who has decided to take a chance and put in the work to get a name for himself in this area. What he is doing in life goes hand and hand with the message of this line and he is a great example to represent my line. I am very excited about other friend's I am in the works of getting on the team to help promote. Right now I have one design printed so its beautiful they believe in me enough to agree to promote for a line they haven't seen much of. I truly believe they know I am very focused to make this dream happen and most importantly they are behind what the brand is about. Stay posted because you will be seeing more from Rob and myself very soon and definitely stay posted for the next members on this team.

I love my job...don't I?

My friends never know who I am going to target next in a post. It's just fun and personal to me. At the end of the day that's just life because I never know where I am going to draw inspiration from. I can be thinking about someone I haven't spoke to in months or years and be inspired by what they are doing. Times change and so does my opinion on certain matters. One of the things that inspires me most these days is seeing someone I know do something they love. It doesn't matter how significant that job is either because that's not what's important. It's the fact that there is someone who wakes up in the morning and there first thought isn't dang I have to go to work. I just laugh when I see it because that person probably use to talk about it all through high school and now it's just cool to actually see them doing it. They are the most helpful people because they know a lot about their line of work. That only happens when someone enjoys their work because they don't mind taking that extra time in perfecting their knowledge about what they do and love. The first person that comes to mind is my good friend Rudy Kreyer who works at a zoo. When he first told me he was working at the zoo I just thought that was the sickest thing ever. It's not like I thought this because he was getting this huge pay check or becoming popular for what he did. It was because I couldn't see him working anywhere else and it's rare for people to actually work in a field they love. Certain jobs that require passion pay less and sway people to find higher paying jobs even if they are miserable doing it. Another reason people don't end up at their dream job is because it seems too far fetched and it just doesn't seem realistic like starting a clothing line lol. At some point I feel you just have to take a chance and go for what you love. I'm sure some people don't feel the same way but I pray for the day I wake up and smile because I'm going to work.

Great Friend Great Advice

I had the most inspirational conversation with my friend Adam Meyer last night. The energy I got from him about the clothing line was just amazing. It gives you the type of feeling that if people have that much faith in your project then you have no choice but to deliver. First off he is already an established graphic designer so I value his opinions. He is my age and already has a job with graphic design for the Minnesota Timberwolves which is inspirational in itself. Seemed like we chatted for a few hours about everything from outside the box ideas to what books to read to get them. He gave me a great blog that has inspired how I want to do my photo shoot already. I just feel so thankful for the support I am getting. It is so encouraging and confirms that there is no reason this clothing line can't be exactly what I want it to be. He just helped me put a lot of things in perspective. I have my first design printed out but there is no need to rush it. Cover everything and when I feel everything is the best it can be, then launch. He just pounded in the fact that to grab attention I have to do what other companies are not doing other wise why buy from me? I can't afford to put a man who is paid by an NBA team on my payroll lol but he is definitely part of the MTB by MTB team. Thanks Adam

ORDERED MY FIRST SHIRT

I'm super excited right now. Things have been going so well as far as support. I wanted to get a shirt done to show a visual of actual progress. It's the first thing people ask when I tell them about my current endeavor. They always want to know what my style will be or do I have a sample or picture. I just wanted to do something to answer those questions and it's just been fun coming up with ideas. I was introduced to Chris, the owner of Kid Saturn Clothing, and he recommended me a great screen printing shop. Honestly, I was nervous because it was my first time going through this process. I went there and was blown away by how helpful Ember was. She was amazing. She gave me some suggestions and we tweaked the design and I am just super happy to see them. Just like always I hope you guys are just excited as I am to see what comes next. I didn't want to give away the complete design to the shirt but the above picture does play a small role. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE goto Blvd Screen and Sign if you are in the Hampton Roads area. I haven't even received my product but they love what they do there. Being that helpful and having such great customer service like that deserves some recognition. 

Putting that order in today makes this feel that much more real. The only thing that can block me from getting to where I want to go now is me. If you know me then you know that will never happen so HELLO WORLD I'm here. 

Friends Pt2 (weareric.com)

As I mentioned in a previous post my friends have been everything to me so far with my progress of getting this started. The next person I would like to shout out is my buddy Eric Lund. He has a dope up and coming clothing line and has offered to do designs and printing for me. It's cool to get advice from someone who has already been making progress in this line of work. He is a very creative dude and I look forward to seeing him get more shirts on the street. His site is definitely worth taking a look at so please do. Check him out over at weareric.com.

You get what you pay for

I heard it's better to make a mistake early on and fix it rather than making that same mistake later down the road where it can cause more damage. I knew I had a couple engagements coming up where I would need business cards so I quickly jumped on a good deal I saw online. I was advised by a friend to not order from this online site and go to a local place. I politely refused and ordered from the online site anyways because it was much cheaper. The funny thing is that an art show came up out of nowhere so I ended up going to a local place anyways to have cards in time. I paid more but I must admit I was happy with the business cards. A few days later I received my box of business cards I ordered online and couldn't believe what I saw when I opened them. My local ones I ordered were of way better quality and had the same design. It was crazy how different they looked. I was frustrated that ordered a ton of the crappy ones and have already gave out all the good ones. I don't even feel comfortable passing these new ones out and since first impressions are everything I wont. They weren't super expensive so it's not a huge deal but as I keep spending money on advertisement and shirts, every dollar counts. So from now on I can't let price take away from the quality of this brand.

Network Network Network

I have made it pretty clear from the beginning that I am very new to the clothing industry. I felt it was very important to not waste any time and get out there and network. I never leave the house without business cards now because you never know who you will run into that can add something to your brand. I have been fortunate enough to meet some cool and talented people in the last few weeks. Before I kind of stayed to myself and just came home after work and did homework. Now I pretty much never turn down a social event because that is potentially missed clients and connections. I went to an art show earlier this week at the oceanfront and exchanged cards with a very talented artist that I hope to do business with very soon. Just tonight at a friends I was introduced to a guy that has an up and coming clothing line. I literally saw someone buy the shirt off my friend's back because it was sold out on the guys website. I just feel so blessed to be surrounded by talented people and good friends. In an industry that I am learning from everyday I at least know the importance of networking and I'm going to keep pushing.

First Line

I'm taking baby steps and there is no exact time of when my first line will be. I am still in the process of trying to secure a theme and designs for my launch. I think I have wrapped up the theme and almost have the first design complete. I am super excited about that. Everything is going very smooth so far. I am really enjoying putting effort into something like this. I also enjoy seeing the support I'm getting from the people around me. Keep following the blog and give me your input because I would love to hear it. This will be a clothing line that provides you with a sense of attachment to the message so get involved and let me hear what you think.

Logo

I finally feel good about a logo but at this point I still don't think it's wise to rule anything out. I don't want to reveal it just yet due to it not being protected against infringement. The last few weeks I have just been literally attempting to sketch any idea that comes to mind. Even though my effort looks like that of a fourth grader it is just good enough for my artist to interpret. If anyone wants to put forth an idea I am all for it. Currently I am working on a creative way to write MTB by MTB. Take a shot and let me know what you come up with.

Friends Pt 1 (hardwoodelite.com)

This will be a long journey but at this point I couldn't be more pleased with how things are going. It's slow progress but any progress is better than none. I am just getting a lot of support and have some good friends pushing me forward. I just wanted to do something to thank the people who have been helping me who also have sites or talents that deserve recognition. I'm going to do a series of post giving recognition to a friend's sites in each one. First up, lets start out with my best friend Jason, his little brother bryan, and another good friend of mine Adam. Adam will be helping me with some graphic designs and Jason is just my good friend who always has my back. Since Jason is like my big brother by default lol Bryan is my brother too so support all of them. They have a dope site for serious basketball fans, they follow the top high school recruits. Please check it out. (http://hardwoodelite.com/)

How bad do you want success?

Great video for inspiration and motivation.

First Impressions

In the last few weeks I have been doing a ton of research on things necessary to start my line. The most important piece of information I have taken is probably the most simple. Take your time because first impressions are everything. At first glance that seems pretty obvious but I'm sure that is a concept that is far overlooked by many business owners in the beginning stages. Right off the back when I decided to take the step in making a clothing line I gave myself a deadline that was under 365 days in time. If I make that deadline then that is fine but if I don't I will not lose any sleep. I want everything to be as close to perfect as it can be when I am ready to launch. Hopefully there will be people who purchase my items based solely on the fact that they know me. Hopefully there will also be another audience who does not know and this will be their first encounter with not only my clothing line but with me. For both of these audiences the first shirt they see may determine whether they ever bother again coming to my site again. I can't afford to waste that very important moment with putting out a mediocre product.

Don't sleep or you might miss something

I  never thought I could have such a good time running off only about 10 hours of sleep in 4 days. I was in Vegas to attend the Hoodie Awards and I had a wonderful time. I was able to meet many of the other business owners and also some celebrities. The biggest mistake of this trip was not having any business cards for my future company. I made the best of it and exchanged information with a lot of people. It was also nice just spending time with my family and friends. I was proud to see my cousins nominated and being involved in such a legit level of recognition. Even though the Fade Shop didn't bring the award home we had a great time and hopefully will return next summer. 

Ready for Vegas

I am pretty hype right now. I'm about to start packing for a trip to vegas tomorrow. I'm attending the Steve Harvey Hoodie Awards. My cousin owns a barber shop out in Dallas (The Fade Shop) that is up for an award. I'm just honored they invited me to come hang out with them this year. I'm so proud of my two cousins Ozell and Erving for being successful and living out their dreams. They really inspire me and lead by example that anything is within  reach if your willing to work for it. I just wish I was a little ahead of schedule and had some product to promote while I was on this trip. Timing is everything so I'm confident things will fall in place for me in the future. I just plan to have a great time and take some incredible pictures. So definitely check back in a few days because I will be posting some up.

The Introduction

Hello world! At 23 I am definitely blessed at where I am in life. I have a stable career in the military and attend college. Lately I have just felt like I'm still not happy with the career I am pursuing. My job in the military requires sitting behind a desk all day. It is getting more unbearable everyday and I'm not even sure my major of criminal justice is exactly what I want to do. My friend Brandy has a song called quarter life crisis and I think thats pretty much where I was at. Until i decided to take a risk and just pursue what I feel would really make me happy in life. By next summer I plan to launch my own clothing line called Make Them Believe (MTB). The funny thing is even though I have a passion for nice clothes I really don't have experience in a lot of fields that benefit this goal. I have no clue how to build a website, can barely draw stick people, and I suck at dealing with numbers. So in this blog I will take you through my journey to of dealing with these issues on the path to my launch.